McDermott bags $125m contract from ConocoPhillips

US energy services company McDermott International, Inc. announced Thursday that a subsidiary of J. Ray McDermott, S.A. was awarded a US$125 million contract during the fourth quarter of 2006 for the fabrication, offshore hook-up and commissioning of the North Belut Central Processing Platform (CPP) topsides and a connecting bridge from the CPP to the Wellhead Platform.

North Belut is part of an oil, gas field located in Natuna Sea Block B PSC, offshore Natuna, operated by ConocoPhillips.

The North Belut CPP Platform is a complex integrated deck and weighs approximately 13,000 metric tons. It will be built at J. Ray's construction facility on Batam Island.

Construction work has already begun with the initial focus on plate girders fabrication and cellar deck panel assembly, said the company. Within four months, an extension skidway will be built to support the structure with the first stack of the cellar deck sub assembly scheduled for June 2007. In all, there will be nine deck sub assembly stackings. At the peak of the construction, over 1,200 people are expected to work on the North Belut CPP. The project is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2008.(alex)